Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, carried out a “barbarous
act” on the unarmed man by running him over in a car from behind and then
mutilating his body, a jury is told at the Old Bailey in London

Michael Adebolajo, 2nd left, and Michael Adebowale, 2nd right, at the start of their trial at the Old Bailey, central LondonPhoto: ELIZABETH COOK/PA

By Tom Whitehead, Security Editor

11:14AM GMT 29 Nov 2013

Drummer Lee Rigby was murdered in a “cowardly and callous” act by two men who then tried to decapitate his motionless body, the Old Bailey heard today.

Michael Adebolajo, 28, and Michael Adebowale, 22, carried out a “barbarous act” on the unarmed man by running over in a car from behind and then mutilating his body, a jury was told.

Richard Whittam QC, prosecuting, said the pair had used their car as a “weapon” to run over the 25-year-old Fusilier as he crossed the road in Woolwich, east London, on May 22 this year.

Drummer Lee Rigby (MoD/AP)

Armed with a meat cleaver and knives, they then repeatedly stabbed and cut at Mr Rigby’s body before dragging him in to the middle of the road so members of the public could see what they had done, Mr Whittam said.

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Adebolajo, from Romford in Essex, and Adebowale, from Greenwich, deny murdering Fusilier Rigby and each deny attempting to murder a police officer on the same day, and conspiracy to murder a police officer on or before that day.

At the start of their trial today, the pair were flanked by eight security officers as they sat in the dock of the Old Bailey’s historic Number 2 court.

Family members and loved ones of soldier Lee Rigby, Ian Rigby, his stepfather (L), his sister Sara McClure (C) and his mother Lyn Rigby (2-R) arrive at the Old Bailey in London

He said the accused “committed a cowardly and callous murder by deliberately attacking an unarmed man in civilian clothes from behind using a vehicle as a weapon and then they murdered him and mutilated his body with a meat cleaver and knives”.

The men were in a Vauxhall Tigra in Artillery Place shortly after 2pm when it was driven at Mr Rigby at between 30 too 40 miles an hour.

The collision knocked him unconscious and the car, which did not brake, crashed in to a road sign “at great force”.

The two men then got out of the car armed with a meat cleaver, knives and a revolver.

“He was repeatedly stabbed and Michael Adebolajo made a serious and almost successful attempt to decapitate him with multiple blows to his neck made with the meat cleaver.

“At the same time as Michael Adebolajo used the meat cleaver, Michael Adebowale was using a knife to stab and cut at Lee Rigby’s body.”

The body was then dragged in to the road, Mr Whittam said.

“They wanted the members of the public present to see the consequences of their barbarous act.”

He added: Such heinous behaviour is in distinct contrast to the bravery and decency shown by some of the members of the public present.”

Mr Whittam said “despite the abhorrence of the scene” one woman went to Mr Rigby’s lifeless body and stroked him to “provide some comfort and humanity to what had unfolded”.

Others tried to offer first aid while another woman engaged Adebolajo in conversation.

The court heard the incident happened close to a primary school and children returning from a school visit to a library were turned back by members of the public so they could not see the “awful scene”.